


Terra Incognita

by Vinnocent



Series: Teen Titans: Morph! [20]
Category: Animorphs - Katherine A. Applegate, DCU, Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: Casual Ableism, Consent Issues, F/M, Gen, Panic Attacks, Phobias
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-28
Updated: 2014-05-28
Packaged: 2018-01-26 22:02:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1704122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vinnocent/pseuds/Vinnocent
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While training Temrash to use Raven's abilities in a nearby canyon, the team encounter Terra, a runaway teen hero who's encountered Yeerks before. But Terra has secrets of her own.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**RRRRUMBLLLLE!**

“Yo, you sure it’s a good idea doing this where rock slides can happen?” asked Cyborg, watching carefully as Starfire guided Temrash through the meditations that Raven had taught her.

“That’s why we’re up here where they don’t have to worry about us,” Robin said, despite the fact that he was perched on the cliff’s edge. “When Raven’s power reacts, it needs an outlet. Out here, there’s plenty of dirt to blow up that no one will care about.” Above them, Beast Boy’s vulture form circled and cast a shadow below.

“Obviously, you’re not friends with a _naturalist_ ,” Jake grumbled. He was the only one standing at a safe distance from Raven’s misused power.

Robin glanced at him. “You sure you don’t want to wait in the Tower?” he asked. “It might be useful; the Tower does get broken into a lot.”

“Shut up,” Jake hissed.

Robin glanced helplessly to Cyborg, who only shrugged. “If my stuff went his way, I’d be acting the same,” Cyborg said quietly. “Heck, he’s actually handling it better than I expected.”

“That’s because even more than he wants to see Temrash killed,” Robin said, looking back out over the scene below, “he wants to see Temrash give us a reason to kill him.” He sighed. “He wants to be vindicated.”

Below them, Temrash used Raven’s power to carefully levitate several pebbles. Again, the glee of accomplishment resulted in a minor rockslide that the two fliers easily avoided.

Cyborg scowled. “You insisted on adding Jake in, but you’re the one making him sound like a villain,” he said.

Robin shook his head. Then, he glanced back once more to make sure Jake wasn’t listening before he replied, “No, not now. But his origin story? It goes both ways. We can’t let him down-slide. We can’t let him down.”

“You say that like he’s not his own responsibility,” Cyborg huffed.

“He is,” Robin agreed. “But he’s also ours.”

Suddenly, Jake interrupted them, “Guys! Incoming!”

Robin stood and spun, expecting an attack from behind, but then he saw Jake pointing down toward the crevice, a good distance from Temrash and Starfire’s practice area, where someone small and skinny appeared to be running for their life from a giant scorpion. Robin pointed. “Titans! Go!” He pulled out his communicator. “There’s action to the southeast. We need Raven and Starfire. Temrash is on order to relinquish control.” He didn’t wait for a reply before running after Jake and Cyborg.

As the running girl was backed up under a cliff jut, a Siberian tiger jumped down onto the rocks above her, soon followed by Cyborg and Beast Boy, and finally Robin. Robin directed them to the attacking monster. “Titan-- AAGH!” He scrambled backward as a massive chunk of rock right next to his footing pulled away, floating up seemingly on its own. That is, until he saw the girl had her hands over her head, motioning with strain as she dropped the boulder onto the creature, crushing it.

A metahuman!

<I guess she wasn’t in trouble,> said Jake.

“She was leading it into a trap!” Cyborg realized.

Robin scowled. “Question is…”

“Who is she?” Beast Boy said with a smile, leaning over for a better look at the action.

The girl looked up at them, raising a hand over her eyes to block the sun. “Oh, hi!” she said. “I’m sorry! I didn’t see you!” With a motion, she raised the earth she was standing on in order to meet them, jumping off onto the ledge they were gathered on. She laughed playfully at their shocked faces. “What? You guys never seen a superhero before?”

Robin stepped forward and extended his hand to greet her. “I’m Robin. We’re--"

“The Teen Titans!” she exclaimed, hitting his hand in several odd motions that seemed to be intended as friendly. “Rock on! It’s cool to meet you guys. I’m Terra, and you’re Cyborg, Beast Boy, and…” When she came to Jake, she hesitated. “Not Starfire.”

“Starfire is me!” Starfire cried happily, gliding down onto the ledge as Raven floated, someone shakily, down behind her. “And this is, um, Raven!”

Robin looked at Starfire skeptically. “‘Um’?” he repeated, but Starfire’s attention was already on Terra.

“Curiosity abounds!” she exclaimed. “Please: Where do you come from how did you get here what is your favorite color do you wish to be my friend?!”

Terra smiled, despite her confusion, and answered, “Um, earth, walked, red, and… sure?”

Starfire gasped with glee and embraced the girl eagerly. “Hello, New Friend!” she cried.

<She really likes making friends,> Jake said to Robin privately.

But Robin only scowled. While Starfire seemed to be distracting Terra, he turned to Raven. “Can you scan her?” he asked.

Raven blinked at him. “What?” she asked cluelessly.

“Scan her mind before this continues further,” Robin clarified.

“What?” Raven repeated.

“To make sure she’s not a Yee--" And then he realized what the problem was. “I told you to relinquish control!” Robin snapped.

“Yeah, how ’bout ‘No’?” Temrash laughed.

“Excuse me?” Robin demanded.

“Without me, Raven’s a time bomb. Tell me she’s not,” Temrash sneered. “Which means you’re no longer the one with the upper hand. I can keep her all I want for the next three days, and I’ve got nothing to worry about at the end of that period, because you and I both know that she _can’t_ be left alone.”

<Guys!> Jake snapped. They turned to see Terra staring at them with a look of horror. Robin started to make an excuse, but she turned heel and ran. Swearing, Jake took off after her, but it was Starfire who grabbed her and lifted her into the air where she’d hopefully have difficulty commanding rocks.

Terra screamed bloodily. “No! Let me go! I’ll never become one of you!”

The Titans all exchanged glances. “Well, there’s your answer,” Temrash sneered.

“Terra, please calm down!” Robin called up at her. “We’re not-- Most of us aren’t Yeerk hosts. Raven and Temrash are--" He glanced at them. Well, “symbiotic” definitely wasn’t the right word. “Complicated,” Robin grumbled.

<Terra,> said Jake, stepping forward, and the girl suddenly froze in terror. <Terra, do you know what an Andalite is?>

“Visser Three,” she whispered, her voice high-pitched and catching.

Jake started demorphing. <No,> he explained. <Visser Three has an Andalite host. The _only_ Andalite host. The Andalites are the-- > His thoughtspeak was cut off briefly as he finished the transformation. Then he stepped forward toward the lowering Starfire as Terra kept her gaze transfixed on him. “The Andalites are the Yeerks’ enemy, and it was an Andalite that gave me and my friends this morphing power. The Titans have allied with _specific_ Yeerks, but if that makes you uncomfortable, I can introduce you to _my_ friends, all Yeerk-free.”

Starfire placed Terra gently back on the ground, then floated backward a bit to give her some space. Terra looked around uneasily at the Teen Titans gathered at a short distance from her. “What if I just want to leave?” she asked warily.

“You’re free to do that,” Robin said. “Though we are trusting you not to tell anyone what we know, or what he just told you.”

“I am sorry for grabbing you,” said Starfire. “But I did not wish for you to run away with the wrong impression.”

“You think I don’t know a Yeerk when I see one?” Terra snarled.

“Wow, you sure know a lot,” Beast Boy gushed, surprising her.

Terra blushed. “I’ve been fighting for a while,” she admitted.

“Really?” Cyborg asked, stepping forward. “How long? What happened?”

“My mother convinced my father to send me to the U.S.,” she admitted. “Supposedly because… other reasons. But the takeover was so soon after…” She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. I fell in with The Sharing in Star City. I didn’t get free again until Black Canary took the pool down.”

Everyone exchanged confused glances. Everyone except Temrash, who snickered. “Really?” he snickered. “You didn’t know about the Star City pool complex?” He was answered by a Starbolt that knocked him unconscious.

“STARFIRE!” Robin yelled angrily.

Starfire shrugged. “Oops?” She turned to Terra before the argument could continue. “What happened in Star City?”

Terra shrugged. “There was a pool in Star City. Just like the ones all over. And--"

“All over?” Beast Boy repeated. “What do you mean ‘all over’?”

Terra shrugged again. “All over. They’ve been in every city I’ve gone to. I heard they’re real big back in Markovia now,” she explained. “So… I just keep running. Do a little heroism here and there. Kick Yeerk butt where I can.”

“You mean you don’t have a home?” Robin asked, concerned.

A third shrug. “The Earth is my home,” said Terra. “I've been crashing in a cave on the other side of the hill.” She struck her thumb out to indicate where she meant.

Starfire gasped in horror. “Unacceptable! I cannot permit my new friend to slumber in a lonely cave of darkness,” she insisted.

Terra looked at her skeptically. “I have a flashlight,” she said.

“You could stay with us!” Beast Boy offered.

Terra glanced past him to Raven’s unconscious form. “With _that_?” she asked.

“‘That’?” Cyborg repeated, shocked.

Jake snorted, amused. He turned to Terra and suggested, “What about Ax’s scoop, if he agrees? The outdoorsiness won’t bother you, and it should be comfier than a cave. You’ll also have company.”

“Whose what?” she asked, confused.

“Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill,” Jake explained. “He’s an Andalite. He lives in a… a thing he made. In the woods.”

Terra glanced between Jake and the Titans. “Alright,” she said at last. “I’ll come meet your friends. But no promises. And just to warn you, I’m ready for a trap!”

Jake smirked. “I don’t doubt it.”

Robin pulled Jake over closer. “Are you sure about this?” he whispered.

Again, Jake shrugged. “I was headed that way soon, anyway, wasn’t I?” he said, with a baleful glance down at Robin. He pulled his arm free. “It’s fine,” he said. “ _We’re_ fine.”

Robin watched him lead Terra away from the group, whispering something that made her laugh. Cyborg stepped up to him. “Robin, if what she said about the other pools is true…” he started.

“It’s not,” Starfire insisted. She landed next to them. “Building another after Black Canary destroyed the first one is one thing. But all over the country? During a hidden invasion? We-- They don’t have that many resources. They don’t have that many _Yeerks_. The Yeerk pools across the Hork-Bajir homeworld are small and far-scattered and were only installed after total victory.”

“If I went through what she did, I think I’d be seeing Yeerks everywhere, too,” Beast Boy suggested.

“Doesn’t mean she’s wrong,” said Cyborg.

“Doesn’t mean she’s _right_ ,” said Starfire.

“I’ll look into it,” Robin promised. “For now, I think we should head home. Cyborg, do you think you can carry Raven?”

“Are you kidding?” Cyborg laughed. “Girl’s made of shadows. It’s like carrying a feather.”

－ －

“Have you gone insane?!” Marco demanded loudly. Apparently, the group thought Terra couldn’t hear them if they left her outside Cassie’s barn, but the aging wood wasn’t exactly sound-proof. Especially with all the yelling.

“She already knew about everything,” Jake snapped defensively.

“She didn’t know about _us_ ,” Marco growled. “She knew absolutely zip about us and what we do here before you brought her here.”

“She needed help,” Jake said. “She was on the run from Yeerks.”

“And what happens when she runs again?” Cassie asked. “When everything we’ve told her counts on her ability to not get caught?”

“Why does Rachel have a tail?” Jake asked suddenly.

“WHAT?!” Rachel exclaimed. Then, “AAUGH!”

After a moment, responding to something Terra couldn’t hear, Jake said, “You mean she’s going to barf an alligator?! A _live_ alligator?” Then, “Oh, excuse me, _crocodile_.”

“Look, I want to help this girl, too,” said Rachel. “But we should have all gotten a say in this before you exposed us to her. It’s not fair to make that decision yourself when you haven’t been here.”

“WHAT?” Jake’s retort was loud and angry. The sort of loud and angry that often accompanied throwing things, and Terra was surprised to hear no accompanying thud or shatter. “I’m sorry but _who_ got my parents infested?”

“That’s not fair,” Cassie said quietly.

“You know what’s not fair? That I got _kidnapped_ by a madman and absolutely _no one_ here did a damn thing about it, much less even _thought_ about looking after my family in my absence,” Jake snarled. “And now, of all things, it’s being held against me!”

“That’s not what I meant!” Rachel yelled, and Terra recognized the voice of someone who was trying not to cry.

Jake huffed, and there was a thick silence where everyone was obviously trying not to start screaming at each other. After a moment, Terra heard the sound of hay shifting that probably meant he’d gotten up. “Right now, I really don’t care what you meant,” Jake said quietly, sounding closer.

“You’re not _leaving_ are you?” Cassie demanded.

“No, I just…” Jake sighed. “If I stay, we’re going to yell some more. So I’m going to go figure out what to do with Terra, since she can’t stay here.”

“We didn’t decide that,” Marco snapped.

“Yeah, you did.” Jake pushed open the door just in time to see Terra jump away from the wall she’d been leaning against. He politely neglected to notice her embarrassment and closed the barn door behind him. “Sorry about that,” he said, starting down the path into the forest. “They’re right. I didn’t think it through. Now, nobody trusts each other. I’ll walk you back to the cave.”

Terra hurried after him. “Your parents got Yeerked?” she asked.

Jake bristled briefly. “Yeah,” he grunted.

“So where do _you_ stay?” she asked.

Jake shrugged. “For now? Titans Tower.”

Terra hugged herself uncertainly. “Do you, um… I mean they said…”

Jake stopped and turned to her. He looked at her curiously. “I thought you didn’t want to be with Yeerks?” he said. “I mean, trust me, I get it. After what happened to my family, I don’t like having them around either. I just don’t have options. You’ve obviously been taking care of yourself for a while.”

“Oh, yeah, totally!” Terra said. “It’s just… well… I was sort of looking forward to…” She shifted nervously and looked away.

Jake finally smiled again. Just a little bit. “I’ll take you there. You don’t have to stay. Hang out for a while. See what everyone thinks.”

Terra smiled brightly.


	2. Chapter 2

After both a fingerprint and retinal scan, Jake typed in his code and the “plus one guest” code into the ground-floor entry of Titans Tower. He was lucky he remembered it, since he usually just used windows. Terra looked around the entry hall. “This is nice,” she said, gawking at the generic furnishings with wide eyes. Jake only raised an eyebrow, guiding her into the elevator. It was only when the doors closed and they began to lift that Jake realized that smell he’d been noticing occasionally was _Terra_. He kept his gaze fixed on the corner away from her for fear that she might notice that he’d noticed.

When the doors opened again, they were welcomed by screeching. Terra looked a mix of amused and horrified. “Do you own cats?” she asked.

“No,” Jake said, confused. “Well, me and Beast Boy,” he admitted, and Terra laughed at that.

Robin turned the corner, fingers in his ears, and stopped abruptly when he saw them. “Oh! Jake and Terra! You came back?”

Jake shifted nervously, scratching his head. “Uh, yeah, I didn’t really… think that through,” he admitted. “Terra thought she’d hang here for a while, if the invitation is still open.”

“No, definitely,” said Robin. He glanced at Terra. “If you’re hungry, Beast Boy’s cooking in the kitchen back that way. Big main room; you can’t miss it.”

“Food?” Terra said, immediately perking up with puppy-like glee. But she was interrupted by more screeching. “What is that _noise_?”

“Uh…” Robin blushed as he glanced back the way he’d come from. “Temrash and Starfire are having an argument in Taxxon because they know I can’t understand it. It got quickly heated, but aside from volume, I’ve got nothing to chastise them about.”

“You think there’s something to chastise over?” Jake asked, amused.

Robin smirked but looked exhausted. “If there’s anything I’ve learned about Starfire in the almost-a-year that I’ve known her?” he said. “It’s that, one, when she’s angry, she’s _really_ angry, and, two, she has a filthy mouth. I’ve only gotten her to keep the swearing alien.”

Terra laughed loudly at that, but Jake just rolled his eyes. “What is with you and swearing?” he asked. “I get that you don’t do it, but is it really worth getting on everyone else about?”

“Yes, actually,” said Robin. “We’ve got images to uphold with the community. Which requires behaving a certain way. It’s hard to turn habits off at the drop of a hat, just because someone’s looking. Better not to have those habits in the first place.”

Terra choked on laughter as her hand flew to her mouth. “Oh my god,” she squeaked. “This is about Speedy, isn’t it?”

Robin nodded, but Jake looked at them both in confusion. “What about Speedy?” Jake asked.

Robin sighed. “Back when he was in Star City… Terra, _I_ heard your stomach growl. Really, you’re welcome in the kitchen,” he said, and the girl eagerly hurried down the hall. However she felt about Raven’s current condition apparently did not outweigh her appetite. Robin turned back to Jake. “When he was in Star City, several on-site interviews went viral. Three where they’d made the mistake of putting him on live, and he made a handful of unsavory remarks about the villain _and_ some of the bystanders. In one interview, he referred to the entire baking industry as a ‘wild pack of ##### #####’.”

“Oh my god,” Jake muttered before clamping a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing.

“They quickly learned to edit him, and it was alright for a while,” Robin explained. “Until a _particularly_ frustrated Speedy said something in Navajo in one interview, it made the cut due to no one in the news center understanding Navajo, and was then uploaded to YouTube with subtitles.”

The hand was no longer sufficing in suppressing Jake’s laughter.

“And _then_ ,” Robin continued, “there was _another_ incident, which was leaked by someone on the GBC editorial staff, where Speedy threw down his hat and attempted to punch the camera man. The clip does not include whatever set him off.”

There were tears running down Jake’s face. “I think I’m gonna die,” he whimpered through his laughter. He leaned against the wall to catch his breath.

“So did all of the JLA,” Robin teased, causing a new round of laughter. “So yeah, everyone’s more stringent about behavior now. Which is a contributing factor to Speedy leaving Star City to do his own thing.”

Quieting down, Jake turned to him, trying to keep a serious face. “Speaking of Star City…” he said.

Robin sighed. “I haven’t got anything yet. I sent a coded message by postal mail to Batman, because it would be much more difficult for the Yeerks to find and intercept that. But I can’t reach out to Black Canary without the League noticing. I can’t even look up where she was last seen without them knowing I’ve taken an interest in her. And if she’s still free, that’ll be a major sign to them that we know,” he explained. “A line we’re already towing from attempting to rescue Elfangor, and Batman might not be the only one who’s noticed that we and the H.A.C. have a very similar hero set. I mean, he’s _usually_ the only one noticing things quickly, but it would be a mistake to make assumptions.”

“What about Green Arrow and Speedy?” Jake asked. “It’s their city, too.”

Robin shrugged helplessly. “Speedy’s a safer bet since Green Arrow's in the League, but, until I know more details, I can’t trust anyone. Reaching out to them, looking for them, is a big risk. For now, we’ll have to relay everything through Batman. He’s got more resources, does not yet have a reason to be suspected by the League, and has more practice at running things behind their backs.”

“More practice at…?” Jake repeated, surprised. “Isn’t he _in_ the League?”

Robin made a vague, annoyed sound.

“Guys!” Beast Boy said, running in gleefully. “You _have_ to see this!”

“What?” asked Robin, unsure if he should be eager or concerned.

“Terra’s eating Starfire’s food!” he cried gleefully. “It’s disgusting!”

“Oh, _crap_!” Robin shouted, running down the hall to get to the kitchen, hoping to prevent a poisoning of their guest. Jake and Beast Boy were right behind him. What he happened upon, however, was Terra happily moving on to Starfire’s “fruit bowl” as Starfire flew off with an empty platter, proclaiming that she would “go cultivate the fungus,” while Cyborg and Raven  &/or Temrash watched Terra with a mix of disgust and fascination.

Jake raised an eyebrow. “She’s as bad as Ax,” he muttered quietly.

“She’s almost as fast as Starfire!” Beast Boy exclaimed. He was clearly awed.

“Starfire’s not _that_ bad,” Jake said, surprised.

“You weren’t here when she was new in town,” Robin told him.

Upon finishing off the bowl, Terra turned to them happily. “So where’s the tub?” she asked.

After an emptied kitchen, a muddied bathroom, and clothes that were washed and dried in the sink (“I’d have shown her the laundry room if I’d known that was what she wanted.”), Terra passed out on their couch, not even thinking to ask if there was a bed available. “I guess she got comfortable after all,” Jake said.

“See, I’m not that bad,” Temrash sneered.

“Yes, you are,” Cyborg grumbled.

“Wonder how long it's been since she had a decent place to crash for the night,” Beast Boy said, still watching Terra.

Robin frowned. “She needs more than a place to crash,” he said.

“She needs a home,” Starfire agreed.

“Why not our home?” Beast Boy said, turning to the rest. “She’s obviously fine with the Yeerk thing now, and we have lots of space!”

“Yes!” Starfire cried happily.

Robin hadn’t stopped frowning. “I don’t know…”

“She would make a good addition to the team,” Cyborg pointed out.

“Maybe,” Robin admitted. “She’s comfortable with Beast Boy and Jake. Let’s see if she’ll join them on the practice field tomorrow.”

－ －

Later that night, Beast Boy returned to the main room with a folded blanket. “Hey Terra, I thought you might…” But the couch was empty, save for a borrowed mp3 player. “Terra?”

Beast Boy hunted all through the tower until, at last, finding Terra out on the shore of the island Titans Tower was built into, skipping stones into the dark waters of Jump Bay. “So I'm guessing the couch was too lumpy?” he teased, taking a seat next to her.

She didn't answer, instead skipping another stone. Hoping to join in, Beast Boy grabbed a pebble at random and attempted to skip it as well. Instead, it fell into the water with a comical **plop**. Terra giggled, making him blush. She concentrated and raised up a better stone for him. Happily, he took it and threw it out at the water, successfully getting it to skip.

“Yeah!” he cried in celebration, and he pretended to flex his muscles to show off for her. She feigned an unimpressed huff, causing him to respond by blowing a raspberry. She responded in turn with sticking her tongue out. Beast Boy promptly changed his skull into that of a large gorilla. Unbothered, Terra stretched her face out as a grotesquely as she could manage, causing him to collapse in a heap of giggles.

She smiled, then looked out over the water. “I can’t stay,” she confessed at last.

Beast Boy immediately sat up. “Why not?”

Terra shrugged noncommittally, saying, “Places to go. Yeerks to squash.” She brushed her hair behind her ear. “I guess you have that handled well enough here. Even with Temrash.”

“Hey, don’t worry about him,” Beast Boy said. “I think Raven’s gonna change her mind about him again. He doesn’t really get along with anyone else.”

“It’s not that,” said Terra. “I mean… Yeah, I don’t like the idea, but I’m not afraid of him.”

“And why would you be?” Beast Boy exclaimed. He grinned huge and proudly. “You could just hurl the whole planet at him if you wanted!” Terra giggled at that and, encouraged, Beast Boy went on. “I mean, wow, Terra, I can’t wait to see what your powers do when you really cut 'em loose!”

Almost immediately, the boulder he’d been sitting on was heaved upward and thrown down again, tossing him back against the rocks. Terra was immediately up to help him. “Sorry!” she exclaimed worriedly. “I'm sorry, I'm so stupid! Don't tell! Please don't tell!”

He stared at her, confused. “Terra, it's okay,” he assured her. “You can't totally control your powers. So what?”

“Promise you won't tell anybody!” she insisted. “Ever!

Still confused, Beast Boy nodded and said, “Sure.”

But it still wasn’t enough. Terra insisted, “Swear it!” He realized that she looked genuinely frightened.

“Okay! Okay! I promise,” he told her, putting his hands up. “But really, it's no big deal. If my friends knew, they'd still like you.”

Terra shook her head and stood. “You just don’t understand,” she insisted, before walking away.


	3. Chapter 3

Two tigers raced down down a dirt path, one orange and one green. They weaved side to side as huge metal pillars burst from the ground. Both easily avoided the obstacles, but the orange one avoided them quickly and gracefully while the green one scrambled slightly.

On an upper hill, overlooking the course, Robin made adjustments to the program, and automated laser guns rose from the soil, firing at both of them. The orange tiger yelped as its paws were singed over and over, but the green tiger easily dodged out of the way.

Another adjustment, just as they cleared the row of laser guns, and the green tiger was nearly knocked aside when a row of blunt guillotine walls burst across the path. The orange tiger sailed through, easily avoiding the walls as they attempted to slam down on him as he passed, while the green tiger only barely kept his tail as he struggled to keep up with orange. On the last wall, green nearly got smashed, and he temporarily changed into a gorilla to grab the wall and break it.

Finally, they neared the end of the course, and new gun mounts rose, this time to fire explosive disks at them. The orange tiger made the mistake of batting them away, while green dodged side-to-side making himself a more difficult target to track.

“Well?” Beast Boy demanded eagerly, coming to a stop in front of his friends with Robin at the controls above. “How’d I do?”

Cyborg shook his head. “We have to wait for--" and then he stopped the timer when a badly singed Jake arrived. “Two minutes and thirty-four seconds,” he said.

“Yay! Congratulations!” Starfire exclaimed. Beside her, Terra grinned nervously and gave him a thumbs-up.

“What?” Beast Boy demanded. “Why were you timing him and not me?” Behind him, Jake started demorphing.

“You were both being timed,” said Cyborg. “As a  _team_. Remember what we told you at the beginning of the course?”

“No?” Beast Boy admitted, confused.

“You two are our most similar members,” Robin explained, “yet, together, you are the least cooperative.  _Again_ , Jake was injured during the non-natural elements, the lasers and explosions.”

“The tiger doesn’t know how to handle those!” Jake insisted.

“So  _tell_  it,” Robin replied coolly. “You encounter these things in nearly every battle. You have no excuse. And you, Beast Boy, have the opposite problem. You continue to slow during the force elements, the erupting columns and the falling walls. Yet, these are popular villain security measures.

“Jake  _could_  have helped Beast Boy with the columns and walls. Beast Boy  _could_  have helped Jake with the lasers and explosives. Instead, you both opted to take advantage of the other’s faults to advance yourselves despite being  _specifically instructed_  that this was a team exercise.”

Beast Boy’s ears lowered, and he dared to dart a nervous glance toward Terra, but she was watching Robin with a sick expression. Jake merely collapsed, exhausted, against the nearby rocks.

“Terra!” Robin called out, and she nervously stepped forward. “I’d like to see what your powers can do on your own, but if you’re feeling nervous, I can pair you with Starfire.”

Terra glanced nervously at Beast Boy, then lowered her goggles. “Why would I be nervous?” she said with a forced grin. She began limbering up.

“You can do it,”Beast Boy said as he walked over. “Robin can be… sometimes. But it’s just practice. It doesn't matter if you mess up! Not that you're gonna mess up, but I'm just saying that even if you really blow it, you…”

Terra glanced back at him, unamused, and he stepped back nervously. “Shutting up now,” he mumbled before retreating back to the rest of the group.

“Countdown initiated!” Robin said, and the timer began counting down from 11. He sounded a good bit less hostile than he’d been a moment ago. She hoped maybe that meant Beast Boy and Jake’s mistakes wouldn’t color Robin’s opinion of her. “Good luck, Terra,” he said with a smile.

“Come on, Terra!” Beast Boy whooped, and Cyborg and Starfire quickly joined in.

But Terra wasn’t listening. Instead, she whispered to herself, “Don't lose control. Don't lose control. Don't.”

The timer hit zero.

New laser cannons rose first, immediately firing at her. She raised the earth beneath her in tall column, getting herself safely out of range. Unfortunately, the lasers immediately destroyed it. Luckily, Terra easily controlled of the top portion, flying out over the laser cannons, where she was able to destroy them with flying rubble.

The dust of the impacts clouded around her, and she barely cleared it before the metal columns rose right in front of her. Terra flailed in terror and only just managed to dodge the first two, losing her seat on her flying boulder. As she clung to the back of the boulder, another column punched up through the earth, and she let go, falling aside as the column destroyed her ride. But all she had to do was raise up another.

Only just gaining control of the situation, she glanced her new boulder off the rock formations at the edge of the field before regaining control and sailing back into the proper course. Impressed, Beast Boy, Cyborg, Starfire, and Jake all cheered for her. Spinning toward the walls blocking her path, Terra raised a new column of earth, bending it horizontally to punch through the metal walls. She jumped off her boulder and ran the length of it.

Jake glanced up at Robin. “If she breaks the whole thing, do we not have to do this anymore?” he teased.

Robin made adjustments to the controls and opened up a pit just as Terra cleared the walls. Falling off her column, she pulled the nearest boulder flying toward her. She scrabbled over it, wobbled, and fell, grabbing another one in the same way. In this manner, she hopped floating boulders across the pit.

Finally sitting firmly again on a new flying boulder, she sailed into the next portion of the course, where the explosive discs were fired at her. She quickly swung her arm, direction a slew of rocks to fly out and destroy the machines. She dropped her boulder and jumped off, coming to a sliding stop at the end of the course. She paused there, wobbling for a moment, before posing like she’d just finished a gymnastic routine.

The Titans cheered ecstatically. “You rock!” Beast Boy exclaimed, running up to greet her.

“Magnificent success!” Starfire cried, flying over next to them.

“One minute, fifty-six seconds!” Cyborg announced. Jake frowned at that and crossed his arms, but he said nothing about it.

Robin climbed down from the controls. “A little rough around the edges, but you've got some real talent there,” he said, smiling.

Terra grinned. “You think?” she asked, eager for more praise.

Robin nodded. “With a little more training, you could--" He was interrupted when everyone’s communicators started beeping, indicator lights blinking on for attention.

Terra looked around at all of them, mildly annoyed. “Okay, why is everyone blinking?” she said.

Without answering, Robin and Jake hurried back up to the Tower, Starfire jetting after them and Cyborg on their tails. Beast Boy shrugged sheepishly. “It’s a bad guy alert,” he explained. “Come on upstairs, and we’ll figure out what it’s about.”

－ －

Slade. Breaking into a diamond mine. That’s how they got there. But somehow, Robin didn’t think that Slade had caused the rockslide that’d trapped Jake under a pile of rubble.

“Jake!” he screamed, pulling off rocks as fast as he could. Cyborg and Starfire were still beating back Sladebots. Beast Boy had disappeared as soon as he’d realized they’d lost track of Terra. Temrash and Raven had been told to keep meditating in the tower, Robin hoping that the two less experienced heroes could make up for Raven’s absence. A decision he was regretting. “JAKE!”

> Further within the tunnels, Terra chased after Slade’s retreating form. Finally nearing him, she raised a hand and collapsed the tunnel in front of him. “Looks like I’ve got you,” she taunted.
> 
> “Actually, Terra,” he said, turning, and she gasped as he also raised his hand and collapsed the tunnel behind her before triggering the tunnel lights to come on. “I’ve got you.”
> 
> Terra shook her head and backed up a step. “You!” she cried. “But… But why are you dressed like Slade? Why are you  _helping_  him?!”
> 
> “Because he helped me, Terra. Just like he can help you.”

<You can stop yelling now,> Jake finally answered. A cockroach skittered out from between rocks and started demorphing. <Are we missing others? These aren’t great eyes.>

“Yeah, Terra disappeared, and Beast Boy went looking for her,” Robin explained.

<She was behind me,> Jake said. <I got backed into the tunnel, and she tried to use the rocks to defend me, but then the tunnel collapsed. She must be behind the debris.>

“She’s not anymore,” Cyborg said, rejoining them. “If she were that close, I’d still be able to pick up her heat signature.”

Starfire blasted away the last of the Sladebots and landed next to a once again human Jake. “How will we find her?” she asked worriedly. “She does not have a communicator to track.”

“Get that debris out of the way,” Jake said, blond fur sprouting across his skin, “and I’ll be able to track her.”

> “I don’t want that!” Terra insisted. “I wanna be a hero!”
> 
> “But no one wants us to be heroes!” he snarled. “You don’t belong with them!”
> 
> “I’ve changed!” she cried desperately. “You don’t know me anymore!”
> 
> He looked hurt. “You think a little  _distance_  changes our  _connection_?” he demanded. “Earthquakes. Avalanches. Mudslides. Nothing changes, Terra.”
> 
> “No!” She ran forward and shoved at him, but he easily pushed her aside.
> 
> “But  _he_  can change it,” he continued. “He already has for me. We belong together, Terra. You can’t trust these heroes. You know you can’t. Every one of them always comes back around to hating us.”
> 
> Terra panted on the ground, trying to hold back panic and tears. “You…. YOU WERE NEVER THE ONE WHO WAS HATED!” she screamed, debris whirring up around her to shield her from his words. As he backed away, however, the shield quickly became a tornado, whirling a greater and greater intensity until it became a whirlwind around her. “No! No!” she whimpered to herself. “No, don’t lose control! Don’t lose control!”
> 
> The look her brother gave her was pitying. “How can you lose something you never had?”

When Jake finally led the Titans to Terra and Beast Boy, a cloud of dust was still hanging in the air. “Terra! Beast Boy!” Robin called, and they looked up at him from where they’d crouched on the stone floor, clutching each other. “What happened?” he demanded.

Terra looked… She honestly looked terrified. Beast Boy took one glance at her, then told Robin, “She got scared. Ran deeper into the tunnels. Nothing big happened.”

Robin was glad to hear it. “Are you two okay?” he asked more gently.

Terra nodded weakly. “Yeah, we’re okay.” Then, with a gasp, she cried, “Oh no! What about Jake?!”

The golden retriever standing by Starfire barked and wagged its tail. <Morphing fixes everything,> he assured her. <No big.>

“Come on,” said Cyborg. “Let’s go home.”

－ －

Jake helped lift Terra’s stuffed hiking backpack onto her shoulders. “Well, guys,” she said, heading for the door, “it’s been real.” The Titans exchanged amused glances as she continued on. “Seriously, thanks for everything, but I--"

The door in front of her slid open, revealing Cyborg blocking her path. “Don’t even think about it,” he said. He had the same look of amusement.

Terra looked around at the group. Only Jake looked confused. The rest, joining her, Jake, and Cyborg by the door, were grinning and smirking. “Okay, guys,” she said, a little nervously. “What’s going on?”

“Well…” drawled a Yeerk-free Raven with a rare almost-smile.

“We talked it over,” said Cyborg, “and…”

“We wish for you to stay here!” Starfire exclaimed, floating up. “With us!”

Robin stepped forward and held out a communicator to her. “We think you’d make a great addition to the team,” he told her. And then, he held out a second communicator, toward an even more surprised Jake. “Both of you.”

“So?” Beast Boy asked eagerly. “Wanna be Teen Titans?”

“Oh my gosh,  _yes_!” Terra exclaimed, snatching the communicator.

Jake only half smiled. “Uh… I’m flattered really, but…”

Cyborg was dismayed. “What? But you were just starting to fit in!” he said, stepping forward at the same time that Raven stepped back.

Starfire lowered to the floor. “I thought you liked us,” she mumbled.

“It’s not that!” Jake assured her. “I like you, I’m grateful for my place here, and I’m always willing to help on the team. But I can’t be a Titan. I’m an Animorph. I’m always going to be an Animorph.”

Robin looked at the communicator in his hand, then held it out again. “Then give it to your team,” he said. “As honorary Titans, like Aqualad. In case either of us need to contact each other in an emergency.”

Jake considered it, then took the communicator. “No guarantees,” he said. “We still have to vote on it.”

“Um,” Terra mumbled, “I still get to be a Titan, though, right?”

“Of course!” Beast Boy assured her, and Starfire and Cyborg enthusiastically agreed.

Robin nodded. “Of course, you'll need more training. I know you have trouble controlling your powers, and we can help--”

The communicator fell to the floor. Terra looked hurt and angry for reasons he didn’t understand. And then, surprisingly, she turned to Beast Boy. “You told!” she accused.

His ears dropped. “What? No, I--"

“You promised!” she raged. “You lied! I can’t believe you lied!” Before anyone could say anything, she ran off.

“Terra, no! Wait!” Beast Boy cried, running after her.

Robin winced and knelt on the floor to pick up the dropped communicator. “Of  _course_ ,” he groaned. “That’s why…”

“I do not understand,” Starfire said, squirming as she stared after the way her friends had gone. She was obviously conflicted about whether to act or not. “What did just happen?”

“She’s sensitive about not being able to control her abilities,” said Robin. He stood. “She must have sworn Beast Boy to secrecy. That’s why they've been acting so cagey.”

“And there she goes,” Cyborg sighed, pointing toward the windows at the far end, where they could see a boulder flying off into the distance, over the bay.

“What happened to Jake may not have been her first mistake,” said Raven. “She did imply that she’s been doing this a while.”

“That is exactly why she needs us!” Starfire insisted.

“And that’s why we’ll be here with the same offer if she changes her mind,” Robin said, putting the extra communicator away in a pocket of his belt.

“You sure she will?” asked Jake.

“Hard to say,” said Cyborg. “But as much as I hate to say it… where else is she going to go?”

－ －

On a large screen, in a well-hidden lair, Slade Wilson watched a young girl run, angry and crying, through the chasm of a long-gone river.

“Want me to get her?” asked the apprentice behind him.

“No, GeoForce,” said Slade. “Wait. Wait for her to cool off. Wait until she’s lonely. Wait until she starts to doubt her decisions.  _Then_  you’ll talk to your half-sister.”


End file.
